Bulls' guard Derrick Rose showed his NBA potential last season when he won rookie of the year, led his team to the playoffs, and almost knocked off the defending champions in the most thrilling playoff series ever. Right now we're starting to see what Derrick Rose is going to become.
As of now his numbers are 18.6 PPG, 5.8 APG, and 3.5 RPG.
It's important to know how deceiving those numbers are.
If you take out Rose's bad start which was caused by a nagging right ankle injury his numbers are: 20.8 PPG, 6.2 APG, and 3.6 RPG. With those numbers I'm taking out Rose's first ten games. He continued playing limited minutes for a couple more weeks after that. Despite his previously impressive numbers, it's his latest work that's turning heads.
Since December 17th Rose has been starting to put up big time numbers. 24.3 PPG, and 6.5 APG. I fully expect his production to keep rising.
After last season many predicted that Rose had superstar potential, however his slow start this year scared some people off. Many sportswriters went as far as to retract their statements about Rose and several felt as though he may have already reached his potential. Well right now they're eating their words as Rose has carried his Bulls from the bottom of the Eastern Conference back to the playoff picture. It's not just his numbers rising that makes me think he's going to become a superstar. It's his fourth quarter production that is really impressing me.
In the last month Rose has been dominating in the fourth quarter. Even when the Bulls lose Rose still keeps them or gets them in the game. With about 7:00 minutes left defenses start to key in on him, yet he still scores at will. That's what a superstar does. He's making his teammates better and he's beginning to deliver in the clutch as well. He hasn't hit the big buzzer beater yet but he makes game winning or game clinching shots a lot. Sometimes people don't understand that a game winner doesn't necessarily come in the last 4 seconds. Sometimes a game winner is made on the defensive side. Take game 6 of last year's Bulls vs. Celtics playoff series for example. In triple overtime Rose stuffed Rondo's fallaway jumper to force a game seven. That's just as good if not better than a game winning three.
We haven't even reached the halfway point of Rose's sophomore season and he's already in the argument for the top 3 point guards in the league. Chris Paul and Deron Williams are the obvious top two, but who comes next is a heavily debated topic. Those in the conversation are Celtics' point guard Rajon Rondo, Nuggets' point guard Chauncey Billups, Suns' point guard Steve Nash, and of course Bulls' point guard Derrick Rose.
Rondo gets a ton of credit he doesn't deserve. He plays with the best team in the league and some of the league's best shooters. It's a lot easier to get an assist when you're kicking it out to Ray Allen or Eddie House than to John Salmons who's currently shooting 39% from the floor and 35% from the three point line. It's not Rondo's fault that he has such dangerous weapons, it just makes the game much easier for him. When Rose crosses half court he is usually met by a double team. Rondo barely even gets defended. Teams are so concerned with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and whichever sharpshooter is off the bench at that time that Rondo gets open looks all game. That's where his point come from, not from superior scoring ability. If Rondo faced the pressure or had the teammates that Rose has, his numbers would be nowhere near as high as they are.
Chauncey Billups is a great point guard, but he's no longer a player who's going to single handedly carry a team. He's the smartest point guard in the NBA and he ties his Nuggets together. But take away his good teammates and put him on the Hornets and he does nothing.
Steve Nash is starting to deteriorate in heart breaking fashion. All of a sudden he can't run and push the tempo of the game like he used to. For that reason he's not quite at the level of the very top point guards anymore. Don't misunderstand, Nash is still a fantastic point guard, he's just not the best of the best anymore.
Right now the top point guards in the NBA today are as follows.
1. Chris Paul
2. Deron Williams
3. Derrick Rose
4. Rajon Rondo
5. Chauncey Billups
6. Steve Nash
7. Devin Harris/Russell Westbrook
As time goes on Rose is just going to further cement his right to be mentioned with the top tier point guards of the NBA.
Unfortunately we live in a world where Allen Iverson is still voted into the All-Star game so I have completely disregarded the All-Star game as the definition for having an All-Star status. An All-Star is someone who can go toe to toe with anyone else of his position in the league and either hold his own or win. Rose fits that criteria.
I have mentioned numbers a lot, I'm well aware that numbers don't tell the full story and that someone can be a great player without huge numbers. The only reason they're here is to help prove my point of how much and how fast Rose is improving.
I'm sure there will be a few more bumps in the road for Rose on his way to becoming a dominant player but this last month and a half let me see that it's definitely going to happen. Before I was thinking it could happen, now I know it will. Barring some tragic injury I think Rose will be the best point guard in the NBA by his fourth season.
If you disagree with me that Rose is one of the best three point guards in the league then ask yourself this question. At this point in time, what point guard would you rather have?
